Bendtner scored inside two minutes on his first Gunners start in three years as Arsene Wenger's men comfortably saw off Hull City at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
The Dane's improving form is a boost to Wenger's hopes of lessening the scoring burden on Olivier Giroud, as Arteta admits Arsenal will have to rotate their squad to stay top of the table.
"He deserves it," Arteta told reporters of Bendtner's goal. "He has been working really hard. He joined us in pre-season and was rewarded. He got the chance and got a very good goal.
"The good thing is we can still rotate the squad and keep winning. The squad players can contribute and help the team be successful. Every member of the squad is important and Nicklas is no different.
"He is an Arsenal player and while he is here, he is 100 per cent here. I don't think he will be thinking of doing anything different because he likes playing here.
"I think it [the competition for places] is great. Everybody has to be on their toes and everybody feels important. You are going to need everyone if you are going to achieve something.
"The Christmas period is going to be massively important but with the quality, the ambition and the togetherness that we have I think we are in a good position."
Arsenal's next opponents are Manchester United's conquerors Everton, and Arteta knows his former club will present a formidable challenge.
"They're having a great season," he added. "They've got some great results against the top teams which isn't easy. We are going to face a very difficult team for sure.
"I think Everton deserve to be up there and beating United is going to be massively important for them, it is going to boost their confidence.
"I know Roberto Martínez well and he is the type of manager that wants to take risks and make his players play good football so hopefully we can watch a nice game on Sunday."
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